Soft plastic food package



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 29, 1950 ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 19, 1954 L. PETERS SOFT PLASTIC FOOD PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledJuly 29, 1950 INVENTOR. J {/Qm ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 19, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SOFT PLASTIC FOODPACKAGE Leo Peters, Evanston, Ill. Application July 29, 1950, Serial No.176,634

3 Claims.

- advantage in packaging such'foods in non-flatsided shapes and otherattractive shapes in which the upper portion of the molded food, afterremoval from the package, has a downwarly-inclined portion.

The particular problem which materials of this kind solves presentsitself when: (1) substantially perpendicular lines are reversed orchanged to horizontal direction, or (2) extreme- 1y sharp-edged contoursare used in forming consumer-size compartments in retail packages forsoft plastic foods and, (3) when the com partment liner is formed from asingle, thin, homogeneous web of material used for packagingnon-flabsided shapes.

When the perpendicularly-inclined lines of such compartments constantlyrecede from top to bottom, the weight of the contents on these linespresents no problem because the'lines follow the natural downward curveunder pressure of the contents.

However, (1) when the perpendicular lines are reversed to point asubstantial section of the compartment upward, or (2) when theperpendicular lines are changed to point a substantial section of thecompartment in a general horizontal direction, then the weight of thecontents acts as a deterrent to the upward sweep of this section of thecompartment. And the thin flexible materials which must be used (in'order eventually to remove the contents) will not -maintain thisreversed or changed direction unless they have sufficient structuralstrength of their own to resist the pressure of the contents.

Similarly if sharp-edged contours are required in the shapes, it isobvious that a relatively stiff material that will not bend easily underpressure from the'contents is needed; that the soft, yielding, easy tofold and bend materials that are not of themselves self-supporting willnot do.

- In the solution of the above problem, I have suggested the use ofcertain types of material which, while flexible, nevertheless aresufficient- 1y stiff to hold their shape without any'other supportingmedium. Such thin materials, such as metal foils, serve this purpose andbecause of their flexibility may be peeled away from the food.- However,the use of such materials as metal foils presents in itself a problem inconnection with the attachment of the liners to the consumer-sizecompartments and the important need of maintaining the figured linersand contents completely out of contact with the compartment walls. Ifthe liner is permanently secured to the compartment wall, it may benecessary to use an adhesive or other means for bonding the liner to thecompartment wall, or it may be necessary with some foods to use slighthand pressures to push the foods out, or it may be necessary to have thecompartment wall accompany the liner in covering unused portions of thefood in the refrigerator. The above apparent requirements, which seem tobe part and parcel of a liner that is permanently attached to thecompartments, are frequently undesirable features, and therefore aproblem presents itself on how to retain the advantages of a thinflexible liner while yet avoiding what are frequently its disadvantages.

A still further problem is presented in finding means for supporting thefoods and in molding the same to reverse percendicular lines in thelower portion of the mold while at the same time enabling the foods tobe readily removed. In the use of certain fairly stiff materials such asmetal foils, there is a tendency for the food to cling to such supportsand not to be removed with the same ease that they are removed from veryflexible plastic and similar films. If a pack could be provided whichwould enable the flexible film to be utilized for the major portion ofthe package while at the same time providing the stiffening support atthe points where the perpendicular lines are to be reversed, theadvantages of both types of packs could be obtained while at the sametime utilizing the flexible film as a suspension means for protectingthe molded food products during shipment, etc.

An object of the present invention is to provide a package which solvesthe problems enumerated above and accomplishes the desired advantages. Afurther object is to provide a thin and stiff, yet flexible and peelableliner draped in reverse-line or changed-line positions within and/orover the edge of the compartment and held thus by the inherent stifinessof the liner itself, the downward pressure exerted by the contents,and/or the bent and creased portion of the liner if the same is drapedover the edge of the compartment Wall. A further object is to provide athin and stiff, but flexible and peelable, liner or film which hassufficient thickness to be draped and molded in desirable shapesandstifiness to maintain it- Self in reverse-perpendicular line, andperpendicular-to-horizontal line positions against pressure from theweight of the contents, the film o1; liner being sufiiciently malleableor flexible to peel off easily from the molded contents. A still furtherobject is to provide a single film or liner of sufficient stiffness orrigidity to enable it to remain in Whatever position it is bent so as toform and shape the soft plastic food introduced thereinto, such film,however, being bendable to enable it to be supported" by a stiff supportand removable'freely therefrom, the liner or film being also readilypeelable from the molded food contents. Yet another object to provide afilm or liner which graspathe-compartment walls securely in reverse-lineposition without being sealed or bonded thereto; yet'when "partment ortube wall Hi and the upper edge of the liner may be bent outwardly anddownwardly to provide an annular flange l2 which serves as sa-lhookfort-securing the liner firmly upon the age structure which is notbonded orotherwise I permanently attached to the container walls, but

which :will yet "hold the figuredsides-:ofitself and the contentssuspendedfrom, but out of contact with, the compartment walls..Azstill-fur- -therobject is to provide *a package-structure. in whichh-ighlyfiexiblefilm is employed for suspending the product,-the filmbeing :laminated with a sti'fiening support .for reversing perpendicularlinesor'for changing the-lines of the "molded :product, such "combinedstructure permitting a ready release of. the molded food' productwithoutmarring or distorting the delicate lines thereof. Otherspecific objectsand-advantages will appear as the specificationproceeds.

The invention is shown in illustrative embodi- -Inents by theaccompanyingdrawing, in which- :Fis-urc l is-a perspective view ofapackage embodying myinvention; Fig.2, ta" vertical sectional view'ofone of the containers within the package; Fig. 3, aperspective?viewi'showing the removal of 'the*tube from the supportingfilm 'or liner; Fig. 4, "a"similar perspectiveviewshow- :ing theiremovalsofithelinert'orifilm; i Fig. 5,'a

perspective View of amodified" formof container;

Fig. '6, a vertical *sectional view of the? structure shown in5;:Fig.z7;aperspectiveview showingthe removal of'the food'contentsfromthe container illustrated in Figs.'r-5,261and 7; Fig. '8,

" a perspective view 50f another modified form .'Of "container; Fig. *9,a vertical "sectional View of the structure shown'in-Fig.i8; landFig.10,'a/*

perspective view illustrating the removal of the 'food contents from:the: container illustrated in Figs. 8, 9 and 10.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive,I-provide a tube support H! which may beof cardboard, laminated board,plastic, molded pulpwood, 'or any suitable-material. The purpose or thetube" lflis to provide a support for the structure which will bedescribed.

Supported by *tube It! is "aliner or film II "Whichmay beformed of metalfoil such as,"for example, aluminum, tin, "or-"any 'of the "metal foils.it may also be'formed of treated papers which have suflicient stiffness"to retain their shape while at the sameti-mebeing bendable to permitthe cup receptacle to'be inverted for these various materials.

The metal foils are particularly useiul for this Also plasticorthermoplastic films m "illustrated in'Fig. 3.

support HI. It will be understood that the sup- "-port ll-may be square,rectangular, or of any -desired..shape,. and that the material H may bereadily bent to'form a tight gripping flange I2 about 'the sides of thesupport. The weight of the contents bearing down on the liner keepsntherlinerfirmly heldzupon the top' of "the support While-rat i the sametime the. stiffness of the :foil:orcothertmaterial: forming the liner. Icauses .its-fiange to grip the top of thesupport llland the grippingthereof around the top of the sup- .port keeps it from being pulled awayfrom the support.

Because of the stiffness of thefoikthedirection -of the downward pull;which is substantially :per-

pendicular, and the reversed direction 'on' both .sides of the wall, andthe bent. and creased" position of the'foil that grips the supportythefoil iltSlfiW-l'lli tendto break before: loosening? its grip uponthewall as long as the wall is'in the normal upright position. At the sametime, the figured portions of the liner and its contents are keptfreefrom contact with thecompartment walls, regardless of the jars andbumps received intransitand use.

When, however, the container is inverted to remove the contents, thefoil slips loose and read ily frees itself 'fromthe wall, under theweight of the'food contents, thus leaving the liner alone, withthecontents on the receiving dish l3, as The peripheral flange [2 at thetop edge of the liner or film (which becomes "the bottom edge when it ison the receiving dish I I3) now provides a' handle or gripping memberwhich may be grasped by the consumer to peel the member H free from thecontents. The foil may be retained to cover up unused portions of thefood contents after the meal, the tube or support I 0' being thrownaway.

I prefer to provide the container with aclosure or'fllm cover M, asillustrated best in Fig. 2, and

*preferablyone side of the film is extended later- 'trated,by'the use ofadhesive or'other suitable means.

"ll-plurality of the'containers may be stacked one'uponthe other, asillustrated in Fig. 1, and

adhesive tape l5 may be securedto the various containersso as to unitethem in a single, rigid, retail package.

The tape it may, if desired, be run circumferentially of the contents soas to overlap adjacent containers and thus unite them. Any othersuitable meansfor releasably uniting the containers "may "be employed.

ln'the operation of the structure, the consumer 'rmay'peel away the topportion of the tape'strips ."5 $0 tree-the uppermost container. The"pulltab [5' of the uppermost cover I4 may then be drawn to remove thecover. The container may then be inverted as illustrated in Fig. 3, toallow the liner II and the food contents to fall on the dish I3. Theconsumer may then grasp the outerv edge portion l2 of the liner toremove it from the food contents, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

In the illustration shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the liner or film Ila ispreferably formed of thin, flexible material which is suspended from thetop of the support and is united to the top of the support by rubbercement or other suitable means. The film may be formed of thermoplasticor plastic material which flows under temperature or solvent conditionsto provide a cup or container. For example, chlorinated rubber(Pliofilm), polyethylene, vinyl, acetate copolymers, vinylidenechloride, polyamids, and a large number of such well-known resins, maybe used. Also, certain other sheeting material such as treated parchmentpapers, etc., may be employed. The above materials are used in a formwhich provides a highly flexible film and which suspends the foodmaterial in a resilient cup. However, the film retains mold lines. Thegreat advantage of such film is that when the package I0 is inverted, asillustrated in Fig. 7, the film falls downwardly to permit a quick andclean separation of the food contents.

Since the flexible film Ha does not have sufficient stiffness to providethe support needed for a reverse central curve, as illustrated in Fig.6, I secure to the central portion of film I la a strip of metal foil 11which tends to retain its shape against the pressure of the foodcontents. The strip [1 is bonded by adhesive or other means to the filmHa and a central portion [3 of the film I la is maintained in theupwardly-curved direction illustrated. A cover IQ of transparent filmmay be sealed by a pressure sensitive adhesive to the edge of thethermoplastic film Ila, as illustrated in Fig. 6.

In the illustration given in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, a rectangular tube 20 isillustrated and a film H1) is secured thereto. The film H1) is sealed tothe top of the support 20 and is provided with a cover 2! similar tocover 19 of the structure shown in Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive.

The film I lb may be formed of the same materials above described forfilm I la, and to the bottom of the cup thus provided by the film Ha, Isecure a plate 22 formed of metal foil or any other suitable materialwhich is both stiff and flexible and which is useful in preparing a moldhaving upwardlyand downwardly-extending lines. In the illustrationgiven, the plate 22 has a bird design and supports the fihn portion 23immediately thereabove so as to give it the same configuration. Theplate 22 is secured to the film llb by adhesive or any other suitablemeans.

After the removal of the cover 2|, the support 20 may be inverted, asillustrated in Fig. 10, to permit the removal of the food product, whichfalls upon the plate l3 therebelow. As illustrated further in Fig. 10,the film portion 23 permits the molded food to fall out of thecompartment by its own weight, and the plate 22 permits a peeling actionto take place so that the bird design is exposed and left intact on thefood.

The new package is useful in the packaging of soft plastic foods such asbutter, margarine, cheese, ice cream, gelatine, liver sausage, meatpastes, jellies, and a variety of similar products.

While in the foregoing specification, I have set forth a specificstructure in considerable detail, it will be understood that suchdetails of structure may be varied widely by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a soft plastic food package, the combination comprising a thin,flexible thermoplastic film providing a reversible cup, said cup havingdownwardly and inwardly tapering side walls and a bottom wall havingupwardly-extending portions, a support disposed about said cup, said cupbeing suspended from said support so that said cup can be reversed andwith the side and bottom walls of said cup out of contact with saidsupport, a soft plastic food body within said cup conforming to itsshape and pressing downwardly against the upwardly-extending portions ofsaid bottom wall so as to tend to depress said upwardly-extendingportions, and a relatively stiif reinforcing sheet laminated to thebottom wall of said pocket and overlying the upwardlyextending portionsof said bottom wall while terminating short of said downwardly-extendingside walls.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said reinforcing sheet and theportions of said bottom wall covered thereby are provided with a figureddesign having raised portions, said design being impressed on theadjacent surfaces of said food body so that said food body pressesdownwardly on the raised portions of said design, said reinforcing sheetsubstantially preventing said raised design portions from beingdepressed under the weight of said food body.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which said. bottom wall is providedwith a centrally located upwardly-extending protuberance forming arecess in the adjacent surface of said food body so that said food bodypresses downwardly on said protuberance, said reinforcing sheetoverlylying said protuberance and substantially preventing it from beingdepressed by the weight of said food body.

F Number LEO PETERS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. IN A SOFT PLASTIC FOOD PACKAGE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A THIN,FLEXIBLE THERMOPLASTIC FILM PROVIDING A REVERSIBLE CUP, SAID CUP HAVINGDOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY TAPERING SIDE WALLS AND A BOTTOM WALL HAVINGUPWARDLY-EXTENDING PORTIONS, A SUPPORT DISPOSED ABOUT SAID CUP, SAID CUPBEING SUSPENDED FROM SAID SUPPORT SO THAT SAID EUP CAN BE RESERVED ANDWITH THE SIDE AND BOTTOM WALLS OF SAID CUP OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAIDSUPPORT, A SOFT PLASTIC FOOD BODY WITHIN SAID CUP CONFORMING TO ITSSHAPE AND PRESSING DOWNWARDLY AGAINST THE UPWARDLY-EXTENDING PORTIONS OFSAID BOTTOM WALL SO AS TO TEND TO DEPRESS SAID UPWARDLY-EXTENDINGPORTIONS, AND A RELATIVELY STIFF REINFORCING SHEET LAMINATED TO THEBOTTOM WALL OF SAID POCKET AND OVERLYING THE UPWARDLYEXTENDING PORTIONSOF SAID BOTTOM WALL WHILE TERMINATING SHORT OF SAID DOWNWARDLY-EXTENDINGSIDE WALLS.